


A Whole New Family

by EyeOfMordor



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Bisexual Character, F/F, Gavin being such a good big bro, Geoff and Burnie being total dads cause they are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 05:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7421737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EyeOfMordor/pseuds/EyeOfMordor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gemma has to suddenly make the move from rainy Scotland to sunny Austin. Her cousin Gavin is there to help - he's always been there for her - and she tries her hardest to put the past behind her and finally be happy again with the help of a certain wonderful company.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When it happened, I knew exactly who to call. I didn't know what time it was for him, or if he would even have his phone turned on, but he was the only person I had.

He'd sounded busy when he picked up – loud voices in the background told me he was probably recording – but he'd dropped everything as soon as he heard my strained and breathless voice. He was so worried, asking countless questions, but all I could do was repeat the same phrases again and again through sobs.

“ _They found out.”_

“ _They threw me out.”_

“ _They threatened to kill me.”_

“ _I don't have anywhere else to go.”_

He knew what I was talking about; Gavin had known me well for years now, always the friendly cousin I could go to. We hadn't known each other growing up, but a string of family weddings when I was 17 made us realise how well we got along. Drunken antics led to us keeping in touch through the years, and although I lived in Scotland and he in England we managed to meet up whenever we were in the vicinity.

When he'd moved to the States I was slightly saddened, but the videos he and his friends produced helped me keep an eye on him along with our daily correspondence. As my family trouble got worse he was always there to support me, and always told me I'd be more than welcome to come visit him in Austin if it ever became too much.

He kept his promise.

He booked everything; trains, flights, hotels, all to keep me safe. He even sent some money into my account so I could buy myself some new clothes, as I'd had to leave home with only what I could carry. When I arrived in Austin airport I had my entire life in a few duffle bags.

My feet carried me to him at speed, crashing into the first friendly arms I'd seen in weeks. I was unashamedly crying into his shirt, finally feeling safe. An ocean separated me from those who wished to hurt me.

When we got to his home Meg's arms were around me as well – I'd never met her in my life, but she held me close and told me everything was going to be all right. That night was spent with takeout, blankets, and plenty of Red Dwarf, while I tried to figure out how I was going to pull my life together. Jet lag took its toll and I slept easily for the first time I could remember, curled up with a duvet in their spare bed. Clean sheets still smelling of the detergent they were washed with, the quiet hum of the AC, and the soft glow from my phone; all telling me I was safe.

The next morning I woke up late, stumbling through to the kitchen with atrocious bed hair and a rumbling stomach. Meg was already up and about – working on a new vlog – and Gavin I presumed was away to work. But then he came through the front door carrying in breakfast Burrito's, and told me he'd taken the day off work, and I'd hugged him again.

Adjustment took a while, mostly because I spent most of my time trying to find a job. Both Gavin and Meg insisted I could stay with them as long as I needed, and I knew they meant it, but my savings would only last so long and I needed to be able to support myself. Gavin and I had gotten my work visa sorted out, so all my paper work was in order, but any interviews I got never seemed to get anywhere. Three weeks of solid job hunting and not a single thing. My hopes were falling with every rejection, and Gavin was noticing.

“You should come into work with me tomorrow,” he suggested one night as I cooked us all a stir fry. “The guys have been dying to meet you.”

“I was going to hand out my CV tomorrow,” I sighed, drizzling soy sauce over the rice.

“Gemma, you need a day off,” he persisted. “Besides, I'm pretty sure you've handed it to every shop in Austin. Give it time.”

“Are you sure I wont be a bother?” I asked. In truth, the idea of going to the Rooster Teeth offices excited me – I was a fan, even since I started watching to keep up with Gavin – but the last thing I wanted was to take time out of their day. “I know how hard you guys work.”

“Yeah, as far as I know we're not filming too much tomorrow,” he nodded. “You can just hang out in the office if you want.”

I turned off the hob, and started plating up the food from the wok. “I suppose I could do with a day off. As long as you're sure.”

“I'm sure.”

“Then I guess it's a plan. Go grab Meg and tell her the food's up.”

As soon as I entered the office I was lost. I forgot how many people worked for the company – far more than the handful that were on camera – and I felt myself almost get swept up in the sea of figures. But Gavin lead me through to the Achievement Hunter office safely, and warm faces met me with smiles.

Lindsey was the first to introduce herself, welcoming me with a crushing hug. Micheal was next, making sure to let me know just how much Gavin talked about me – many times they'd been told of drunk antics, like the time the two of us nearly knocked over a three tier wedding cake. Personalities I'd seen in videos for years now came to life in front of me, welcoming me into their space.

Geoff was instantly a dad. It probably stemmed from me being related to Gavin, who was essential his fully grown man-child, and it warmed my heart to see that the same kindness was passed onto me. I wondered if Gavin had told them why I was there, as a few of them must have been worried when he answered his phone and simply left a recording session, but none of them seemed to over pity me. They just treated me like they would anyone else.

I was sat at someone's desk, a few of us talking – Geoff, Jeremy, Jack, and I – the face I recognised as Ryan's came walking into the office. He greeted everyone with a communal hello, before he noticed me.

“Oh, you're Gavin's cousin, right?” he asked, making his way over with a smile.

“Yeah, I'm Gemma,” I nodded.

“Ryan,” he grinned back.

“It's great to meet you. And can I just say, for the record, your Scottish accent is _terrible_.”

He let out a hearty laugh. “Sorry, I try my best. No intention to insult your motherland.”

“It causes me real physical pain. If you're gonna wear the kilt you gotta have the accent to match it.”

“I'll practice it, I promise.”

“Gemma, you want to have a go on the Vive?” Gavin called from the other side of the room.

“Aw, hell yeah. I've heard that thing's amazing.”

I was out of my seat, leaving the small group of men to continue chatting as I dashed towards the headset in Gavin's hand. I slipped it on and was handed the controllers.

“What the actual fuck,” I exclaimed in amazement. A chorus of laughter erupted from behind me.

“I forget how great it is to hear Scottish people swear,” chimed in Geoff.

“You wanna fight laddie?” I said, my accent purposely going thick as I turned in the direction of this voice. “I'll clobber ya over the heed if yer nae careful.”

More laughter ensued as I turned back to the game. It was Job Simulator, and my curses of awe continued as I kept playing. Eventually from what I could tell there was a crowd gathered around me, all watching me mess around in the mechanic level. I was getting far too immersed, because I tried to lean on one of the desks and ended up falling right through it. I went crashing into someone – I couldn't tell by the grunt of surprise – and arms managed to catch me slightly.

“Oh shit, sorry,” I laughed, facing my unknown saviour.

“It's fine, karma for the bad accent I suppose.” It was Ryan, and I could tell from his voice that he was smiling. He helped me back to my feet as I flushed in embarrassment, before taking the headset off and handing it back to Gavin.

“I think I've had enough VR for one day, or else I'm gonna fall onto someone again,” I chuckled, putting down the controllers. “But holy shit that's amazing.”

“Do you guys wanna film another VR the champions?” Jeremy suggested.

“Yeah, we can do it after GTA,” Geoff nodded, heading towards his desk. “Which we should probably get done now that we're all here.”

“You guys want me to get out of your hair for that?” I asked, perched on the side of a desk (a real one this time).

“Nah, you can sit in if you want, people do it pretty often,” Ryan said, and Geoff nodded in agreement.

“Cool, just lemme know if you need me to leave or anything,” I smiled, heading over to the sofa and grabbing my laptop out of my bag. I'd taken it as a precaution – and rightly so, it seemed – so I was more than happy to sit and look at job listings while they all recorded. It was more amusing than I'd expected, and I'd tune out for a moment only to be brought back to reality by someone yelling. I had a view of Jeremy's screen from where I sat, and so I was able to quietly laugh along with whatever antics ensued.

At one point they were playing a game involving stunt jumping cars over planes (I wasn't really paying full attention when they'd been explaining it) and when they all managed to land their moves spectacularly wrong I couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.

“Sounds like the Scotsman's enjoying herself,” Gavin chuckled. I'd tried to stay quiet the whole time, not wanting to really be in the video, but now I'd been mentioned. People would be curious, so I figured I could just roll with it.

“I mean it's hard not to enjoy a failure as bad as that one,” I called back to him, loud enough for the microphones to pick me up.

“Ohhhhhh,” Michael grinned. “Are we just gonna sit there and take that.”

“I mean she's not wrong,” Jeremy added.

“Yeah but it's not a case of right or wrong, it's a case of honour,” he responded.

“You sound just like Prince Zuko, all you need is the weird ponytail,” I joked.

“Gavin I don't like your cousin anymore,” he stated sarcastically.

“Don't worry, I never liked you Michael,” I assured him, no truth in my statement.

“Are you kids gonna start fighting?” Geoff chimed in.

I shrugged with a wicked grin. “Maybe.”

A soft plushie was launched my way from Michaels desk. “Oh, you're dead meat, Jones,” I threatened.

“You can't hurt me, I'm a company asset.”

“Never stopped us before,” said Ryan.

The light joking kept going before fading slowly, all of them returning back to their game and me to my job search. It was nice to feel so comfortable around these people after only knowing them a short time. In fairness I was quite the extrovert, and I tended to get along well with new people very easily, but it still felt nice. They likely knew I was a fan from Gavin's stories, but they didn't treat me weird or anything. I was just another human being.

A tap on my shoulder made me look up; it was Ryan, smiling down at me with a friendly face. “We're gonna head through to the break room to grab some food, you wanna come with?”

I hadn't even realised they'd stopped recording, but true to his word they were slowly filtering out of the room. “Oh, yeah,” I nodded, closing my laptop. “I could probably do with some food actually.”

He offered me a hand up, to which I happily accepted, and he managed to pull me up with ease. He chatted easily as we walked through the building, until a smiling blonde was waiting for me next to Gavin.

“When I found out his cousin was coming to town I just had to meet you,” Barbara grinned.

“Don't worry, I'm not as daft as he is,” I smirked. “It's nice to meet you though, you're even prettier in person.”

“Aaron's gonna fight you now,” Gavin scoffed.

“I'll fight him for Barbara, I'll fight anyone for Barbara,” I proclaimed, hands on hips in a dramatic stance.

“Oh, my hero,” she swooned, putting a hand to her forehead. “Are you sure you're related to Gavin?”

“Oh, just wait till you see me drunk. That's when the family resemblance shines through.”

“Remind me to get you _both_ drunk then.”

“You want a coffee?” Ryan offered, standing next to machine. I turned to him, seeing his ever friendly smile, and nodded.

“Yeah, coffee would be fab. Might make myself a sandwich if that's okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead,” Barbara nodded, pointing to a cupboard. “All the bread and stuff is in there.”

“You guys got peanut butter?”

“Yeah, I stocked up yesterday actually.”

“Barbara please marry me,” I laughed, putting my hands together.

“Only if you beat Aaron in that fight. Survival of the fittest.”

We all chatted happily, a few of the guys dispersing through to the office and Barbara heading back to work. I sipped on my coffee happily, sitting with Gavin and Ryan at the table, when a voice sounded from behind us.

“Please don't tell me I have to deal with another Gavin,” it said, and I turned around and saw Burnie. “I don't think my sanity could handle that.”

“Don't worry, I'm far more sensible,” I assured him. “I'm Gemma.”

“Burnie, nice to meet you,” he said, shaking my hand. “I heard you're living in Austin now.”

“Yeah, Gavin's been nice enough to let me stay with him and Meg until I can find a place of my own. And a job.”

“Ohh, job hunt not going well?” he frowned.

“Not really, I've had a few interviews but nothing that's lead to anything solid.”

“Well we're always taking on interns here, and with RTX coming up soon we'll be looking for extra staff,” Burnie shrugged. “You got any skills in editing, sound design, animation, or anything like that?”

“I did a degree in film editing,” I nodded. “Honestly, the thought had applied to me to ask about work here, but I didn't wanna seem like that one guy who's like 'oh a family member works there that means I'll _totally_ get a job there'.”

“No, not at all,” he said with a shake of your head. “If you've got a good resume and the skills then you may as well apply. I'm not saying you'll definitely get the job, but it's worth a try.”

A smile spread across my face. “Thanks man, really,” I said. Part of me knew why he'd suggested it; he must have known why I was there in the first place. You could tell by the way he talked about the job – he was trying to help me out without directly telling me how sorry he was that it'd all happened. Which I really appreciated – I didn't like simply being pitied – and it was a nice little boost to my confidence.

“No problem, it'd be great to have someone around who can tell us more embarrassing stories about Gavin,” he chuckled. Burnie had a wonderful smile, and an even greater laugh, and you couldn't help but be wrapped up in its warmth.

“I do that to myself already,” Gavin said.

“Yeah, but more can't hurt,” I grinned. “I've got that really embarrasing one from when you were seventeen, and you had this massive crush on a girl at the wedding and you just kept following her around with cake and little sweets and -”

“Oi, not that one!” he cried out in panicked laughter.

“Save it for another time, I want that to be recorded for the whole internet to see,” Burnie laughed, clearly amused by Gavin's fear. “I'd better get going, but it's been great meeting you, Gemma. See you around.”

I waved a goodbye, and we all returned back to the Achievement Hunter office with a comically disgruntled Gavin. The camera was set up for VR The Champions, and Jeremy could be seen moving around with the headset on. Grinning to myself, I quietly rushed to the sofa to grab a pillow.

“Hey, short stuff!” I called.

“Huh?” he said, turning in my general direction but obviously not seeing me. Ryan looked at me and at the pillow in my hand, and broke into a devilish grin. 'Do it', he mouthed to me.

“Catch!” I launched the pillowed directly at him, and as a confused look crossed his features it went crashing straight into his face. He stumbled back in surprise, nearly falling over his own feet.

“That was a low blow, Gemma,” he laughed as Geoff howled with laughter.

“I'm glad we got that on camera,” Ryan said, joining in. “Now lets play some VR!”

The next hour was spent watching them all flail around like idiots, and although I tried to stay as much on the sidelines as possible Ryan and Michael both ushered me in to have a go. Just like earlier I had a blast, messing around with the world in front of me.

“Just don't go crashing into me this time,” Ryan grinned.

“No promises, Haywood.”

Once all was said and done and wrapped up, Geoff came over to me and took me aside gently. “You don't have to be in the video if you don't want to, we can edit that bit out,” he said, sounding exactly like a concerned parent. “I know some people don't like the attention it gains them from the fans. They can be kinda shitty sometimes.”

“No, no, it's fine, I'm okay with it,” I said with a shake of my head. “I've got pretty thick skin. Thank you though, for asking.”

He clasped me on the shoulder warmly before we both returned to the group. Jeremy gave me a light, not even sore punch in the arm for my earlier antics, and I responded by actually punching him back.

“Come on Dooley, too scared to hit a girl?” I scoffed.

“Watch out lil J, she will deck you,” Gavin warned.

So that's how I ended up semi-wrestling Jeremy to the ground. All in all a good time.

The day was honestly more wonderful than I could have hoped. Burnie reappeared and stole me away from the boys to give a little office tour ( he showed me the podcast set and it took me every ounce of willpower not to leap onto the sofa ) which also introduced me to more faces. Barbara hollerred at me when I entered her office and introduced me to Gus, and a short look around the animation department saw me meeting Miles, Kerry, and more familiar faces. It was lovely to see everyone welcome us with warm smiles, and Burnie and I got chatting on our way around the building.

“Thank you, by the way,” I said to him as we passed the various other sets.

“Oh, no, the tour is always fun to do.”

“No, I mean for what you said earlier, about the job – telling me to just go for it. It was good to hear from someone after weeks of disappointment on the employment front.”

There it was, his warm smile again. “No problem Gemma, glad I could help. Gavin uh, told me the situation behind you're sudden move to Austin.”

“Yeah, I kinda guessed,” I shrugged.

“I just wanted to let you know that you've always got a safe place here. The people, the company, nobodies gonna shame you for who you are. And we're certainly not gonna let it get in the way of your talents.”

“Burnie I-” Three seconds ago I was fine, but now I was choked up and on the verge of tears. “You have no idea how good it feels to hear someone say that.”

“I mean it. And it's not just Rooster Teeth; Austin is home to all sorts of people. I know how people usually feel about Texas being full of bible-bashers, but this city really isn't like that. You're safe here, nobodies gonna hurt you.”

And there I was, crying in front of Burnie Burns after literally knowing him less than 24 hours.

And there he was, hugging me gently.

“I'm so sorry,” I managed to croak out. “The last thing you want is some weird fan crying on you.”

“Gemma, it's okay, really,” he assured me softly. He was so warm, it felt like being a kid again. “You've been through a lot, it's good to let it all out.”

He brought me over to the Off Topic set to calm down, sitting there with me patiently on the bar stools. “I'm sorry,” I apologised again, “I'm sure you've got far more important things to do than look after a crying, emotional Scot.”

“Stop apologising, it's fine,” he smiled, patting my back gently. “And trust me, I'd rather be here than in a meeting.”

Once I'd calmed down he showed me to the bathroom to clean up a little, before we completed the tour full circle by returning to the achievement hunter office.

“This is just a pretty boring part of the building,” Burnie announced loudly as we walked in. “Just a buncha losers in here, they don't do anything special. Just yell a lot.”

“Oh, yeah, they're the trophy finders or something?” I asked, just as loudly.

“Oi, sod off,” came Gavin's amused reply. “How was the tour?”

I looked to Burnie briefly. “Really good, Burnie's a spectacular host.”

“All right, I'll leave her in your trusting care,” he chuckled, clasping me on the shoulder. “I'll see you later guys. Take care Gemma.”

A chorus of goodbyes followed Burnie out the door, and I placed myself back down on the sofa with a relaxed sigh. Then a plushie hit me in the face.

“Revenge!” Jeremy yelled triumphantly, everyone cheering.

“Ohhhh, you just gave yourself a death wish,” I taunted, pretending to crack my knuckles. “This aint gonna be pretty, boys.”

The day ended too soon, but it was nice to head home happy. I got hugs – there were so many hugs – before Gavin and I drove off. He looked at me in the car as we turned onto the highway, and we both shared the same smile. He seemed so pleased to see his cousin finally relaxing.

 


	2. Chapter 2

We returned home to see Meg knee deep in a cosplay, hard at work with her sewing machine, fabric all over her workshop. She ended up sleeping as soon as dinner was over, Gavin carrying her from the sofa to their bed, as I lay watching tv in the living room with Smee curled up on my stomach. It was the most content I could remember being – my life seemed to be full of those moments – and as I ran my fingers through the feline's fur I hummed to myself happily.

The buzz of the tv lulled me into a soft slumber, and I woke the next morning with a slight patch of fur on my tshirt and a hot cup of coffee on the table. Gavin was smiling down at me with a goofy grin.

“Morning couch potato,” he said.

I reached up and flicked his nose. “Morning asshole, thanks for the coffee,” I replied with a smirk and a yawn. “Smee was too cute to disturb.”

“Yeah, he's an adorable asshole,” he nodded. “You wanna come into work today?”

“Nah, I'm good, don't wanna seem like I'm a pest all the time,” assured him. He frowned slightly, but he knew there was no point trying to argue. “I might head into town, see if I can find any more jobs.”

“What about applying for the company?”

“Yeah, I'll do that too,” I nodded, sitting up. “There a link on the website?”

“Should be, if I'll give you Matt's email or something.”

“You can't just hand me over your boss' email you know.”

He just chuckled and walked off. The coffee was strong – just the way I liked it, he'd remembered – and he was gone by the time I was out the shower. Laptop on my knees, hair still in a towel, I found myself staring at the Rooster Teeth website's career page, looking at the positions open. Software Architect, Internship, and there it was – editor. I read over the position details, and it all fit. I was skilled with the software, knew what kind of content they wanted to produce, and was familiar with the company. It was as Burnie had said; I had a fairly reasonable chance.

“All right Gemma, you can do this. Take the leap,” I told myself as my mouse hovered above the “apply” button. I clicked it, took a sip of my coffee, and got to work.

 

\---***---

 

[text: Me] guess who's officially applied!

[text: Gav] fingers crossed you and lil J dont start a turf war

[text: Me] thanks for that idea

[text: Gav] aw shite

 

\---***---

 

Town was busy, busier than I'd seen it so far, but I managed to wriggle my way through the crowds towards the smaller streets, inquiring about jobs in various coffee shops. One such shop that I found myself it was rather quiet, and it was about lunch time, so I figured I could stop and grab something to eat.

I ordered my food and took my seat at the small corner table, taking out my phone to check twitter. Gavin had texted me back, something about Jeremy already preparing for war, and I chuckled to myself as my coffee and pretzel were places in front of me.

Sipping at the latte, I glanced around the cafe's patrons. One girl in particular caught my eye – dark skin, pink-tipped hair, cute t-shirt – and I tried not to stare. It was conditioned to avoid any glances that weren't simply quick or observational, but the way the girl smiled held my attention far longer than it should have.

I returned my eyes to my phone, trying to avoid the slight feeling of familiarity (I'd probably just seen her around town before) and continued to eat. Try as I might, I kept looking back at her, until once where she caught me looking and I was too bashful to even move from my seat until she left the cafe.

Embarrassing encounter over, I handed in my CV to the man at the counter and decided I should probably head home to save myself any further self-ridicule. I returned to the Turney-Free abode, fed the pets, and began checking my emails every five minutes.

Checking my emails became a habit over the next few days; always keeping an eye on them in anticipation of a job response. Gavin noticed as well, and every time I frowned at my phone he'd chuckle and tell me to just be patient. In truth I was more looking out for news on the Rooster Teeth position, and even though I knew not to get my hopes up it was hard not to. They had millions of fans, and doubtless I wouldn't be the only one applying for jobs there. Besides, I had little faith in my employability skills after weeks of solid failure. Again, Gavin was good at picking up changes in my mood, and he could tell it was getting to me again.

“Hey, why don't you come into the office again today?” he said one morning. It was a Friday, so I didn't have anything planned, but I'd been in the office that Monday and didn't want to seem like I was gonna be hanging around all the time. I mean, unless I got the job there.

“I was in there on Monday, people will think I'm a permanent pest,” I shrugged, sipping at my coffee.

“Nah, the guys were all asking after you again,” he said, clasping my shoulder. “They all really enjoyed having you there the other day.”

“Really? I was worried they'd feel a bit put off having someone else in their videos,” I sighed. “You know, I don't wanna invade their whole thing.”

“Yeah, they all really liked you. Gus said you're like a way more intelligent version of me,” he nodded.

A smile broke onto my face. “Well, if you're sure.”

“I am, now go shower and get ready,” he chuckled, shooing me out of the kitchen. I complied, and soon we were pulling up to the parking lot.

Gavin was looking excited as we walked into the building, and he zoomed ahead of me to wait by the Achievement Hunter office door. I eyed him suspiciously.

“What?” he asked, trying not to laugh.

“What are you up to?”

“Nothing,” he shrugged. “Simply letting the lady go first.”

Once again I frowned, but opened up the door in front of me anyway. As soon as I stepped in, I was swarmed with bodies.

“Congratulations!” came the cry, and someone picked me up in a sweeping hug. It was Ryan, and as much fun I was having I was still utterly confused.

“What the hell?” I laughed as Ryan put me down, both of us grinning.

“We're just celebrating our newest employee!” Michael yelled, blowing on a streamer.

“Yeah, welcome to the company dude,” Jack added.

“What, what?” I said, in awe. “Are you kidding me? But why didn't I get an email or any sort of interview or conformation?”

“Well, Burnie heard that the recruitment team had approved your application and were just waiting for Matt's approval, and he thought it'd be nice to surprise you,” Geoff explained. “Gavin agreed.”

I turned to my cousin, who was currently grinning in the doorway. “I thought it'd be a nice boost,” he said.

“I can't believe this, I've been checking my emails nervously all week. This is amazing!” I cheered, hugging Ryan again, before moving along and hugging everyone in the room. I felt utter elation, not just because I'd secured a job, but because I'd secured a job at a company where I felt safe being who I was. It felt like I was finally getting somewhere with essentially rebuilding my life. “Where's Burnie, I need to go give that bastard a punch and then a hug.”

“Right here,” the man in question called, appearing beside Gavin. “But you do realise if you punch you, you're fired.”

I launched myself straight for him, wrapping my arms around him. “A hug will have to do then. Thank you, this was so lovely.”

“You're more than welcome,” he grinned, returning the hug. “We'll have to discuss contracts and all that stuff, the recruitment team will run you through it all later, but for now just enjoy yourself.”

Someone picked me up from behind before I could reply. “I swear to god Ryan you've got to stop doing this,” I laughed, before he placed me down in one of the computer chairs.

“True, but first we're gonna play some games,” he grinned. “Ladies choice.”

“In that case I'm kicking every single ass here at Halo 5.”

“That sounds like a challenge, you're on,” Michael grinned.

“You willing to put money where your mouth is?”

“Oh you know I always am.”

“Twenty dollars from everyone, winner takes all?”

About an hour later I was $140 richer, and the festivities didn't stop there. We raided the Off Topic set, myself grabbing a pint of beer and a bottle of Morgans rum. I saved the latter for after the meeting – which was quick, just establishing contracts and workload and expected outcome – but I came back to see the bottle of rum and three cans of coke sitting on my desk, along with the “Bet You Cant” glass. Rest assure, I did.

“It's only three in the afternoon, why am I tipsy?” I said from the sofa, which I was current sprawled across.

“Cause you're Scottish,” was Ryan's reply.

“Cause you're an idiot,” was Gavin's.

“Cause you swindled us all out of our money,” Michael concluded.

“Man, any job where you can get drunk at work is a good one,” I nodded, browsing twitter on my phone. “I'ma go make a sandwich to absorb up all this alcohol.”

“If you get lost, just shout, we won't come running,” Jeremy called after me, as I flipped him the bird. I wandered through to the break room, happily humming to myself. Half way through slathering the bread with peanut butter, a flutter of pink-tipped hair caught my eye.

Turning to my left, the girl from before was standing making coffee. We both turned to each other and gasped.

“Oh, hey, it's you,” I said.

“You're that girl from the cafe,” she nodded, smiling slightly. “The one who was kinda staring at me.”

I flushed bright red. “Uh, yeah, sorry about that,” I chuckled nervously. “You just sorta.. caught my eye I guess. Your top was really cute.”

She grinned widely. “Thank you, I was actually admiring your hair – it was super curly and super cute. I didn't know you worked here.”

“I mean, I don't until tomorrow,” I laughed. “I'm Gavin's cousin, Gemma; I moved over here and applied for an editor job. I was led here today to receive a little surprise party. Hence the fact that I've had three rum and cokes.”

She laughed at that, a sweet sound filling the break room. “I'm Mica, and I'm fairly new here as well. Gavin mentioned he had a cousin that was coming over to stay a while.”

“Oh, you're Mica?” I said, eyes widening. “Gavin mentioned you were starting up a few weeks ago, I just never had a face to put to the name. Congrats on graduating by the way!”

“Thank you, it was a hell of a time in college,” she smiled. “And yeah, I'm here to set up a full streaming schedule and manage it all.”

“Good luck keeping that lot in line,” I giggled, taking a bite of my sandwich. “It's super cool to finally meet you though.”

“Yeah, the same to you; when I heard Gavin's cousin was coming over I knew I _had_ to meet you,” she grinned. “Gotta admit, didn't expect you to be Scottish.”

“Aye, I try to surprise. You heading to the office?”

“Yeah, we're gonna be streaming some Worms later. Shall we walk?”

“It'd be my pleasure, mlady.” I said, doing an over-exaggerated bow.

“Guess who I found!” I yelled, returning to the office with Mica in tail.

“Gems, you're alive!” Gavin called to me. “And you caught a straggler!”

“Hey, I was hired here before her,” Mica said, crossing her arms with fake offence. “You guys never told me we had a new employee.”

“We figured you'd meet eventually,” Geoff shrugged.

“Yeah, in a cafe down town,” I said to Mica quietly, erupting laughter from us both while the others frowned in confusion. “Anyway, Mica my dear, would you care for a drink? We looted the Off Topic set earlier.”

“Nah I'm good, but thank you anyway,” she smiled, before turning towards Gavin and Michael. “You guys ready to stream?”

“Yeah, sure,” the latter of the pair nodded, all three of them heading through to the smaller streaming room they had set up. My eyes were on Mica every second before the door closed behind her.

When I looked around, every else was looking right at me with the biggest shit-eating grin. For a moment I panicked; I'd let it slide, let the secret out and they could all tell. But then Ryan came up to me and clasped me on the shoulder. “I'm glad you've taken notice of how adorable she is,” he said.

I blushed once more. “What can I say, I have working eyes, it was pretty hard _not_ to notice,” I said, flustered.

“Fuckin' knew it,” Geoff grinned. “Gavin owes me ten bucks – I bet that the moment you saw Mica you'd be infatuated.”

“Fuck, you're not wrong,” I sighed. “I need another rum and coke for this.”

By the time I got home I'd had far too much booze and far too little food. I'd been a giggly mess the latter half of the day, and after Mica had left it was constant teasing from the guys. Gavin poked my side excitedly, even if he did hand the money over to Geoff, while Ryan gave me a huge grin. It felt so reliving to have them all happy for me, and not caring that I was totally head over heels for a girl.

“You ready to head home? Your first day of work is tomorrow, after all,” Gavin asked.

“Yeah, any longer and I'll be tempted to get another drink,” I nodded, standing up going round giving everyone hugs. I'd only known these people a short time, but they were so warm and welcoming it was hard not to get sucked into their weird little family so quickly. I managed to pick Jeremy up, and Geoff gave a warm, fatherly hug that I sorta sank into.

“Turney's gonna order pizza for when we're home, what do ya want?” Gavin asked, typing away at his phone.

“Barbecue chicken, my usual,” I replied as we both headed towards the door. I couldn't just leave yet, though. “Thank you all so much. For this, for being great people in general, for making me feel welcome. This whole thing has been insane; I've moved countries suddenly and had to start my life up again. I couldn't be luckier to do it with such a wonderful bunch of people.”

Cheers went up from everyone, and I got another hug from Geoff.

“You're gonna be okay, kid,” he muttered softly. “You're gonna go far.”

I managed to hold in my joyous tears until Gavin and I were on our way home. He held me close, and I let the feeling of utter relief wash over me. It finally felt like I was through the worst of it.

Pizza, movies, and a little bit more Red Dwarf took up the rest of the day, before I retired to bed nice and early. Tomorrow was my first day of work, and although the excitement buzzed through me I managed to calm myself and get to sleep.

I'd survived, I thought to myself. I'd been through shit and pulled out of it alive. And tomorrow was the first step into a completely new journey.

 


	3. Chapter 3

It didn't take long to adjust into the typical routine, and I think it helped keep me on track to have something to do every day. Be in the office for about 9 or 10, grab a hard drive full of unedited footage and stick it all together, mess around when the opportunity struck (it struck often). I nearly cried when the first pay check came through – I was on my way to getting back on my feet.

I also continued to flirt miserably with Mica.

I knew she was bisexual, it didn't take long for the guys to divulge that lil piece of info to me, but I still worried that I'd be coming on too strong or that I wasn't her type. I didn't exactly have the highest opinion of myself, and I was fearful of ruining the working relationship. But sometimes, sitting there editing together the steam highlights, it was hard not to get lost in her voice and her laugh and her smile. God, her smile was beautiful.

Yeah, I was hopelessly head over heels. And it was painfully obvious. But despite my very much extroverted tendencies I hadn't even dared to make any sort of move. We were co-workers, and I understood that while working in a place so public to so many people, in-house relationships weren't the best in some peoples eyes. She was friendly to me, there was no mistake there, but not in any way different to the way she was around all the others. So I told myself not to get my hopes up.

 But work was amazing nonetheless. I soon settled into the position, and I became a familiar face around the offices. Barbara and I hung out a lot in her office, and the two of us bonded extremely quickly. Gus got to know me by proximity, but all three of us got along really well anyway, and so whenever we were all in their office little work actually got done. Gus and I also shared a love of alcohol, so we ended up trading off many drunken stories.

"I think we should bring back the cheesemaster for this years extra-life,” I said to him, sitting across from Barb at her desk. “I want to see that in person.”

“I don't think my liver could handle that, the morning after was horrendous,” he said with a shake of his head and a pained look on his face. “One cheesemaster was enough for a lifetime.”

“You're gonna rob me of that wondrous sceptical? That's just cruel.”

“Don't encourage him, I don't think I can handle trying to stop that madness again,” Barb said. “Pretty sure I could have sued him.”

“But Barb it'd be _fun_ ,” I wined sarcastically.

“Yeah Barb, it'd be _fun_ ,” Gus added in a similar manor. “Just as long as it's not being livestreamed this time.”

“Don't worry buddy, once I get a place of my own you can come to the house warming and get pished,” I grinned at him.

“Pished? What the hell does that mean?” he and Barb both laughed.

“Pissed; Drunk,” I shrugged. “It's a Scottish thing.”

I made friends easily, and I was always happy to chat away in the breakroom. Miles, Kerry and I found out about our shared love for anime, and so it wasn't uncommon to see me around in the animation department chatting about the newest episodes. People would wave at me as we passed and vice versa, and the building began to feel like a second home.

Geoff and Burnie both sorta became adopted dads in different ways, mainly due to them both being pretty fatherly people in general. Geoff invited Gav, Meg, and I round to his house for dinner one night, where I got introduced to Millie and Griffon, the latter of which absolutely amazed me with her carvings. Both husband and wife took me into their life happily much in the same way they had with Gavin, and it felt like my new family was growing bigger by the day. Burnie was equally as lovely, inviting me into his office on occasion to make sure I was doing okay and that the job was going fine (and occasionally to share a drink). He made to sure to know that I was feeling safe in my workspace, even though that wasn't even his department at the company. He was doing it out of pure kindness, and for that I was endlessly grateful.

And I did feel safe; I became much less ashamed of being myself, and was able to settle into Austin life pretty easily. I still wasn't at the point of managing to get my own place, but I was getting there.

It was a Friday, nearly mid-day, when Michael came bounding into Barb and Gus' office. I was sitting having coffee with both of them, taking a break from work, when the excited looking man appeared.

“Hey Gemma, you got a lot of work to do today?” he asked.

“Nah, I've already finished up one edit and I've only got another one to do. Why'd ya ask?”

“Gavin and I were wondering if you wanna be on Off Topic? Ryan was gonna do it but he had to go pick up his son from school, the lil dudes been sick.”

“Aw man, hope the wee one's okay,” I frowned. “And yeah, sure, if you think the fan's will be okay with that. Ya know, a stranger appearing in the vids and all.”

“Nah, they thought you were pretty funny in those other videos,” he shrugged.

“Then I'm in,” I grinned. “How long we got?”

“About three minutes.”

“Jesus Michael,” I sighed, and waved goodbye to Gus and Barb as I was dragged out the door. “So who else is on?”

“Mica.”

“Oh god, I hope the audience is ready for two hours of me staring at her wistfully,” I muttered, but Michael just chuckled.

“You'll be fine,” he assured me, pausing before adding “once you've had a few drinks.”

Make-up department did a quick job before we ran onto set, the cameras rolling after a brief countdown.

“Hey, welcome to Off Topic,” Michael introduced. “I'm Michael, and today we've got Mica, Gemma, and Gavin.”

“Should we formally introduce Gemma?” Gavin asked.

“I mean, she's already been in a video of two, but sure,” Michael shrugged, turning to me. “Go ahead.”

“Uh, hey I'm Gemma, I edit videos and stuff. Also I'm Gavin's cousin – boy do I have stories to share.” Gavin let out a groan as Michael and Mica both grinned like maniacs. “But lemme get a drink before I take you on this wondrous journey of embarrassing tales.”

“You forget I have quite a few about you as well,” Gavin pointed out.

“Yeah, but I have no shame, so they aint gonna work,” I shrugged, pouring myself a beer from the tap behind me. “Now children, it's story time.”

The podcast was more fun that I'd anticipated. I told the story I'd mentioned to Burnie earlier – the one about Gavin following a cute girl around at a wedding and ending up with cake all over his face – and we all chatted about life in general and what movies we'd seen lately. I was sat next to Mica, and being in such close proximity admittedly made me flush slightly. We both sat there enjoying our drinks, having both moved on from beer to rum and coke after two glasses. I was warm, next to a cute girl, and laughing happily on my stool.

“What's the weirdest thing you've seen since working at Rooster Teeth?” Gavin asked me, about half way through the podcast.

“The weirdest? Well I grew up knowing you so I'm pretty used to weird-looking things.” That one earned my a high-five from Michael.

“Mine was probably the lunch line, when the company buys everyone food,” Mica said. “I've never seen so many people lusting after pizza in one place before.”

“I'll have to say it's how much stuff you guys actually do for bets. People don't even see half of it in the videos,” I laughed.

“Ten bucks says you can't chug your drink,” Michael said loudly. He was grinning at me wickedly, egging me on. I looked down at my drink – a pint glass, almost full – and shrugged. Within the next twenty seconds it was empty.

“Suck it!” I shouted triumphantly, as he handed me over the money. Mica cheered with me, putting her arm around my shoulders to clasp me happily. I managed to contain the excited flip that my stomach did at the physical contact, and instead just turned to her with a massive grin on my face.

“Damn Gavin, you gotta warn me next time,” Michael sighed.

“She's a premium alcoholic, what can I say,” he replied.

“You're not wrong,” I said, nodding with a smile. “One day I will drink you under the table. Done it to Gavin at least twice.”

“Yeah, but I was seventeen the first time, I didn't really have a tolerance.”

“So was I, go hard or go home. What's your excuse for the second time?”

“That you're better than me.”

“He admits it! Did the cameras catch that? Yeah? Good, I want that on my grave stone; Gavin said I was better than him.”

“I'm so glad that we have Gemma here, she's yet another person who can annoy Gavin to death,” Micheal laughed.

“Yeah, me too – it's great to have another face around the office,” Mica agreed, patting me on the back lightly while I smiled gratefully. “Besides, more cute girls around the office is always good.”

Micheal looked at me right as she said that and just _smirked._ I fought not to let the stupid, love-stuck grin spread across my face as the conversation continued, and simply went to get myself another drink.

By the time the podcast was over I was slightly tipsy and more than happy with the two hours I'd just spent on the set. The cameras have a bit of an odd presence over you, but the air was full of light hearted joy that easily distracted me from the thousands of people watching. We all signed off, did the sponsor-only post show, and headed back to work suitably more tipsy than before.

“Hey, Gemma,” Mica called to me, walking up beside me. “I was wondering if you wanna come on the stream with me? It was meant to be Ryan, but of course he had to run.”

“Sure, if the audience wants a tispy Scot I'll give um a tipsy Scot,” I grinned, nodding. “Besides, gives me an excuse to kick your ass. What we playing?”

“Well, if that's your attitude then I guess I'll keep it a secret,” she grinned, tapping her nose with a wink.

“Urg, fine, but I'm still going to kick your ass,” I said with a sarcastic groan.

“Well come on then, lets put that to the test!” she grinned, taking my hand and leading my through the building at speed. Her hand fit so well in mine, and I had to tell myself not to think purely in movie clichés.

We reached the streaming office and sat down in the chairs, Mica taking her seat at the main control computer. “We're about to go live in a minute, you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm good. I just hope I don't get shit on for being tipsy. Or replacing Ryan,” I shrugged.”

“Don't worry about it, people shit on me just for being in videos and doing my job, you'll be fine,” she smiled, looking a little pained.

“Aw man, I don't get it. You get shit on so much just because you're new and you like to voice your opinions,” I frowned, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly. “Seriously Mica, don't let them get to you. You're utterly and fantastically wonderful.”

She clasped her other hand over my own, holding it tightly, while she has the most sincere look in here eyes. “ Thank you Gemma, really, thank you.”

We broke away from the little embrace, and I tried to contain my blush as she put the steam up.

“Sup guys, Mica here with today's AH Duo stream, with special guest Gemma,” she cheered, addressing the camera.

“Hey guys, I know I'm not _really_ an Achievement Hunter, but just think of it as a female Gavin,” I chuckled, waving a little. “Also, Mica refuses to tell me what we're playing today.”

“Yeah, you'll find out soon. Open up that tab on your screen, the second last one,” she said, grinning at me maniacally.

I frowned, and moved the mouse over the tab. I clicked, and gaped.

“Oh shit.”

Mica was howling with laughter at my fearful gaze. On my screen sat the Resident Evil 7 Demo, which I had kept a solid distance from ever since it was announced.

“Gavin told you I hate scary games, didn't he?”

“Hmm, maybe,” she replied coyly, grinning. “And to make it just that much better, the lights will be going out.”

“You're gonna fucking kill me man,” I whined, putting my head in my hands. “I'm not drunk enough for this, and I've had like three rum and cokes already.”

“Well, you're not getting out of this room until you manage it,” she grinned.

“Ryan fucking owes me, big time,” I growled, picking up the controller and trying not to let the fear set in.

 

\---***---

 

Rest assured I shat myself at every jump or weird noise that came through the headphones. The first time I got the ending had me fling the controller to the floor and literally dive for Mica. She gave me a soft hug and told me that if I kept going and got at least two other endings she'd treat me to dinner. How could I deny such an offer?

So after a day of drinks and jumpscares, Mica and I sat across from each other in a little Mexican restaurant not far from Stage 5. We both sat with out food – she with Taco's and I with Fajitas – chatting about our lives and getting to know each other. We were in a small booth, out of the way.

“I can't believe you broke your arm jumping over a vaulting horse,” she chuckled as I finished my story.

“Yeah, I was a dumb thirteen year old who never learned not to mess around in P.E,” I nodded, giggling. “But hey, I got like four weeks off school cause it was my writing arm. Bonus!”

“You're mad, I can tell you're related to Gavin. Are you on his mom's side or his dads?”

“His mum's, she's my dad's sister,” I explained. “I'm actually super lucky I met Gavin when I did, we've become super close over the years.”

“Yeah, he still letting you crash at his?”

“Yup, I'm looking for apartments but I'll need a few more months to save up enough,” I nodded. “He's a life saver honestly, if he hadn't brought me over here and sorted everything I'd probs still be back in Scotland.”

“How come you had to move over here? No jobs over there?” she asked. It was an innocent enough question, but I still stiffened. I hadn't really talked to anyone about the situation surrounding my sudden move other than Gavin, and Burnie in a way since he already knew. But this was Mica I was talking to, and of all the people I'd met I knew she would be the last person to judge me for who I am.

“No, my parents basically disowned me,” I said, chuckling nervously. Her face dropped from one of laughter to one of concern and sorrow. “I did my four years at university, got my degree, and moved back home for a while so I could focus on finding a job. Everything was fine, even if I found home life a little suffocating. But as I was unpacking some stuff my dad came across a heap of old photos; uni parties, holidays, and old girl friends.”

“My parents are very conservative, pretty right wing, and when they found out I was bisexual they were horrified,” I said with a heavy sigh. It felt good to talk about it with someone. “They yelled at me, dad almost hit me, and told me to get out of the house before morning. I've got no siblings, and practically none of my friends knew about it. But Gavin did, ever since the wedding where I got drunk and confessed to him. So I called him in a panic and he stopped everything to take me in and keep me safe. I don't even know where I'd be if it wasn't for him.”

Mica had leaned over and clasped my hand in hers, and she looked at me with such a sorrowful gaze. “Oh Gemma, I'm so sorry. You know you're safe here, everyone and Roosterteeth loves you for who you are.”

I smiled thankfully. “Yeah, Burnie said the same thing when he first gave me the tour and made me cry,” I chuckled. “It's okay, I've put it all behind me. I've started a new life for myself here, and I'm happier than I've ever been. It's been hard not to let it all get to me, but I'm managing.”

“Well you know I'm always here for you, no matter what,” she smiled. “Here, give me your phone. If you ever need me I want you to call me right away, no matter what time. Promise me you'll let me know if you need help?”

I was so taken aback by the sudden wash of pure kindness that I felt myself tear up. I hadn't known Mica for long, no more than any of the others at Roosterteeth, yet here she was – giving herself to me as an all-time emergency contact. I'd never had someone put themselves out there for me after knowing them such a short time.

“I- I just – thank you,” I choked, sniffing slightly. “You have no idea how much this means to me, you doing this and just saying these things.”

“Us bisexuals got to stick together, huh?” she grinned. She slid round to my side of the booth and wrapped me in her warm arms, holding me close.

“You give really nice hugs,” I murmured, looking up at her. Our faces were so close, and my heartbeat rose. Hey eyes looked right at me – large, beautiful eyes – and a small smirk played across her lips.

“I give even better kisses,” she said quietly, pecking me on the lips with a giggle.

I responded my meeting my lips to hers again, this time for much much longer. It was so comforting, so safe, I hadn't felt like that in years. She still held me close, her arms firm and protective, and I couldn't help but smile into the kiss. Neither of us could.

“Hey, you wanna go on a date some time?” I asked quietly as we pressed out foreheads together.

“I thought this _was_ a date,” she joked, looking at me with a wink.

“Well, lets go for a date where I don't cry,” I replied with a chuckle. “Man, Micheals gonna be so happy. He puts us on one podcast and he'll think he's a professional matchmaker.”

“Well he did take a pretty good pick,” Mica grinned.

I was blushing madly, head in hands. “You gotta stop doing that to me dude – cute girls are my utter weakness, and you're like that but tenfold!”

“Aw, you're too sweet,” she laughed. “Besides, you're cute when your flustered.”

She kissed me again and we left money for the bill. Running out the restaurant in a gleeful buzz, we raced back to Stage 5 hand in hand, laughing as we dodged through pedestrians.

We dashed through to the Achievement Hunter office – only Jack, Geoff, and Gavin were there, working late – and I instantly hugged my cousin.

“Thank you,” I said, squeezing him.

“What for?” he chuckled, hugging me back.

“Everything.”

I pulled away, glanced between him and Mica, and his eyes widened in happy surprise.

“Finally!” he cheered, picking me up by the waist and spinning me around. “Now you can stop staring at her through the office window.”

“Gavin put me down and shut up, you pleb,” I cursed, still unable to contain my laughter. Geoff was standing next to Mica looking like a proud parent.

“Go on you two, get outta here,” he grinned as Gavin put me down. “You kids have fun!”

“Yes dad!” I yelled back with a huge grin, as Mica once more took my hand and led me out of the office.

Hand in hand with the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, life finally felt like it was all getting back into place. I had a job, friends, and a girlfriend. Things were looking pretty good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was a lil thing I churned out over the span of a week or two, thought I may as well upload it because boy does Mica not get enough love <3


End file.
